Noel

The old Calypso song goes "If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty woman your wife." But, what are you supposed to do if your fiancé is Penelope Cruz? That is Paul Walker's (The Fast and the Furious) problem, and he has a jealous streak. Who wouldn't with Cruz, but it is going to kill his upcoming marriage. No problem, Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine) comes to the rescue in a strange way and saves the day.

But, Walker isn't the only one with a problem. Susan Sarandon (Dead Man Walking) has a mother with Alzheimer's and her life is a mess. Who to save her but a burned-out priest (Robin Williams). Well, they really save each other.

This is a sentimental Christmas tale with some laughs, but it is mostly about Christmas miracles. Watch it for the great cast.

This film is about how a group of seemingly unconnected people spend their Christmas Eve in New York.

"Noel" may look like a romantic comedy set around Christmas time, but it is much more than that. It excels at portraying their feelings and emotions, and therefore it is particularly engaging. Their live stories are real and down to earth, these events could happen to anyone. It helps viewers to connect with the characters. I find Arty's story particularly touching. The parallel between Arty and Mike, although a little contrived, is also nice as it leads to a happy ending.

"Noel" is a heartwarming film. It makes you care and feel for the characters. It might even make you feel for the people around you too.

No tree decorating, baking cookies or building snowmen. Instead this is a character study of several different people trying to make sense of life. (I counted 6, but maybe Charlie doesn't count.) They all cross paths, some more closely than others.

There are several more popular actors and all do at least a credible job. Susan Sarandon's story is perhaps the most interesting and she does it well.

The story wanders a bit, but I think intentionally. The TV replay I watched was chopped a little too much for commercials and so a couple of times the transitions were confusing.

Quietly sitting in a hospital is a mysterious and kind man played by Robin Williams. Is he an angel? I'm not going to say. All I will say is that he and Rose help each other feel better.

Artie works in a restaurant. He lost his wife years ago and recognizes that Mike likes many of the same things his wife did. Could he be Mike's long-lost father? No, it's actually much weirder than that, and Artie and Mike end up spending time together, which is not entirely positive.

This is not always a pleasant movie, but it does have some touching moments and great performances. Susan Sarandon does such a good job, showing a very caring attitude, and putting on a good front when the truth her character is miserable. Penelope Cruz has such a positive attitude for what she is going through.

Alan Arkin also shows his talent.

And Robin Williams is amazing as always. He isn't that funny here but he has an ability for pleasant drama. Especially after what just happened to him, it's nice to see him as a man of faith and to hope Williams really did believe in something.

The storyline about Marcus I could have done without. He doesn't seem to interact with the others but merely happens to be in the same room at one point.

Is this a family movie? I wouldn't recommend it for kids, but it has some of the qualities of a holiday family drama. It just reminds us all too much that not everyone has happy holidays, while showing how we can make each other's lives better. And someone forgot to bleep the s-word a couple of times. I don't know whether this means everyone hears it or someone was supposed to be monitoring the movie as it aired. The sound did go out a couple of times later.

It's worth seeing if you don't mind being depressed before you feel better.

It is my favorit Chistmas theme film. for many reasons who, year by year, are more and more. first - as puzzle of gray lives. the second - for forms of love. not the last - for moral lessons, many not real profound or credible but useful for easy demonstrations about the structure of relationships. sure, it could be defined as forced, naive or childish, as sketch of serious film or as film using the Christmas only as pretext. but it has all the virtues to be one of expected films by viewer . for cast, off course. for Paul Walken , especially. for angels. and for the encouraging message. and, maybe, for its special beauty. like an Renaissance angel. so, for me, a special, real special film.